Welcome back Mr.P.
You are such a refreshing "Voice of Reason".
Speaking in his first full television interview since resuming the presidency, Mr Putin said: “Today some people want to use militants from al-Qaeda or some other organisations with equally radical views to accomplish their goals in Syria. This policy is dangerous and very short-sighted.”
The Russian leader was responding to a host at the Kremlin-controlled RT channel who suggested that western and Arab nations were “sponsoring terrorism” by supporting the rebel coalition, the Free Syrian Army, which was “suspected of hiring known al-Qaeda fighters”.
Do you ever hear any of this wisdom from any of our leaders?
NO!
Mr Putin expressed agreement with the assessment and said: “In that case, one should unlock Guantanamo, arm all of its inmates and bring them to Syria to do the fighting - it's practically the same kind of people.”
He warned against foreign intervention in Syria, saying that “no one is confident” that US troops will have stabilised Afghanistan by the time they withdraw.
“The most important task today is ending the violence," he added. “We must urge all the warring parties, including the government and the so-called rebels, the armed opposition, to sit down at the negotiating table and decide on a future that would guarantee security for all of the stakeholders within Syria.”
